Garments in e.g. a diving suit, a protection suit, a spray deck of the cockpit in a kayak, etc. are often used to seal the wearer, or certain parts of the wearer, from e.g. a fluid such as water or contaminated air/gas. In e.g. a diving suit, the garment around the neck may need to be sealingly connected to a diving cap/helmet in order for the wearer to be sealed from the surroundings when diving. Similarly, the feet and hands of the wearer, i.e. garment around the wrists and cuffs of the diving suit, may need to be sealingly connected to diving gloves and diving boots, respectively. In another example, the paddler of a kayak often desires to prevent water from entering through the cockpit into the kayak, and therefore uses a wearable garment (a so called spray deck) which is sealingly connected to the kayak. Thus, for many applications, there is a need to sealingly connect a layer, e.g. the neck of a diving suit or portions around the cockpit of a kayak, to a wearable layer, e.g. a diving cap/helmet or the spray deck of a kayak, respectively.
A solution for sealingly connecting parts of a diving suit is presented in EP 1 352 577, where the diving suit is provided with releasable water-tight seals around the wrists, ankles and neck. Each releasable water-tight seal includes first and second complementary shaped annular interlocking seal members connected to the diving suit and suit elements such as gloves or boots, respectively. In EP 1 352 577 one member is provided with an undercut hook-shaped rib that mates with at least one complementary shaped channel in the other member.
The size and complex design of the sealing device in EP 1 352 577 makes it suitable for relatively advanced clothing, such as heavy diving suits and survival suits. However, there is a need for a smaller and simpler sealing device applicable to e.g. waterproof jackets.
In EP 2 868 218, a sealing device comprising an annular base with sections of different stiffness is provided. The annular base in EP 2 868 218 thus balance the need for a certain stiffness required to hold an annular sealing body in place, while still providing for a annular base which is flexible. However, for certain applications, there is a need for an improved stiffness and/or a more adaptable sealing device.